1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hinged mattress and cover used in combination to place a cover on, and remove the cover from, a mattress.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hingeable mattresses have been used in a number of applications. These range from hospital mattresses that a patient can manipulate to customized mattresses for space conscience areas such as for a boat. In the case of a mattress on, for example, a boat, the mattress is usually designed to fit into an area that may be of an unusual shape and perhaps difficult to access. The hinge on such mattresses is designed to allow a section of the mattress, generally the end farthest away from a boat occupant, to be rotated upwardly to provide access to a storage compartment located within the bed frame.
It is often difficult for one to reach the front of the mattress to remove and replace a mattress pad and sheet without crawling on the top of the mattress because of the structure of the bulkhead. In such an environment, it would be useful to have a way to conveniently manipulate the mattress position and the mattress pad and/or sheet so that the person changing the mattress pad and/or sheet can do so in an efficient manner and with as little difficulty as possible, i.e. without the need to crawl on top of the mattress. The present invention provides a solution to this need.
The hinged mattress and cover combination has a hinged mattress with at least a base section hingably connected to a pivotable section, top and bottom surfaces, and front, rear and side walls extending between the top and bottom surfaces. The mattress defines a header as part of the pivotable section and a footer as part of the base section. The cover is adapted to overlay at least the top, header and footer, and preferably the side walls of the mattress. The cover can be in the form of a mattress pad, sheet or a combination sheet and pad.
One or more straps, each having a length and two ends, extends along the top surface of the mattress with a first end of the straps being attached to the pivotable section of the hinged mattress. Preferably the first end of the straps is connected, via a buckle, to the bottom of the front wall, i.e., adjacent the bottom surface, with the buckle allowing for an adjustment of the length of the straps. While the second (or other) end of the straps may be loose, it is preferably attached to the bottom of the rear wall of the mattress. When sufficient force is applied to an intermediate portion of the straps the pivotable section will pivot about the hinge from a substantially reclined position to a position where a person can grasp the header of the hinged mattress.
The cover has a pocket adapted to receive, or fit over, the header of the pivotable section when a person has a grasp of the header. After the pocket is placed over the header of the pivotable section the pivotable section is reclined and the cover is fitted over the mattress top surface, the side walls and the footer which includes the rear wall.